Paralympics 2012: Sarah Storey wins Britain's first gold - BBC Sport BBC Sport Paralympics 2012: Sarah Storey wins Britain's first gold By Mike Henson BBC Sport at the Olympic Park 30 Aug 2012 From the section Disability Sport Share this page Media playback is not supported on this device First gold medal for Paralympics GB cyclist Sarah Storey 2012 Paralympics Wednesday, 29 August to Sunday 9 September Coverage: Extensive daily coverage across 5 live, 5 live sports extra and the BBC Sport website Sarah Storey swept to victory in the C5 Pursuit final to win Great Britain's first Paralympic gold of London 2012 and the eighth of her own career. The 34-year-old tore into the gap to Anna Harkowska and passed the Pole just after halfway in their 3km run-off. I didn't expect to be able to catch her as quickly as I did Sarah Storey Storey, who broke a world record for the 72nd time in her career in qualifying, has another three medals in her sights at London 2012.

Earlier, team-mate Mark Colbourne won silver in the C1-3 1km time trial. Storey and Colbourne's successes are the first contributions towards ParalympicsGB's target of 103 across the whole of London 2012. Cycling will be key to that total having delivered 17 golds in Beijing and Storey never looked like being denied a repeat of the Pursuit title she won four years ago. "I didn't expect to be able to catch her as quickly as I did," said the Briton. "Hopefully this race will set me up for the rest of the weekend. I suppose it did look easy but mentally you have to prepare and make it happen. I have to respect all my competitors." Until December the 34-year-old was also in contention for a place at the Olympics as part of the non-disabled team pursuit squad. "Sarah is Sarah. She wants to keep proving to the Olympic team that she needs to still be in consideration, alongside the younger generation that are emerging.

She has put a time in there in qualifying that proves she is still world class and while there are four other people who the Olympic selectors thought were better than her last time, she is telling them not to overlook her. I'm sure she would jump at the chance to get back involved with the able-bodied squad." Mark Bristow,two-time Paralympic cycling champion and 5 live analyst The trio of Dani King, Laura Trott and Joanna Rowsell were eventually preferred and justified their selection with gold in a world record time in the Velodrome earlier this month. Denied her chance to become the first athlete to represent Great Britain at both Games, Storey sent an ominous message to her Paralympic competition as she improved on her own C5 world record in qualifying. Her time of 3:32.170 would have been good enough for silver ahead of fellow Briton Wendy Hovenaghel at the non-disabled track world championships in Melbourne in April. Harkowska's own mark in the heats was 16 seconds slower and Storey immediately started reeling her in, opening up a six-second advantage in the first 1000m before bringing the final to an early end.

Born without a functioning left hand, Storey's Paralympic career began back in Barcelona in 1992 where, as a 14-year-old, she won two swimming golds. Media playback is not supported on this device Storey wins GB's first Paralympic gold In 2005 an ear infection which prevented her training in the pool prompted her to try cycling as a way to keep fit in the meantime. She never returned to the water. Colbourne's Paracycling career is far shorter, the Welshman having started the sport in the wake of a paragliding accident in May 2009. The 42-year-old underlined his promise as he added Paralympic silver to the three time-trial medals of the same colour that he has won at World Cup events so far this year. "I've worked for the last eight months towards this. A big thanks goes to all the coaches for getting me into the best shape possible," he said. "We've done this hundreds of times in training and it's about repeating the process.

I probably only heard the crowd on lap three when I had relaxed into my stride." Six-time Paralympic gold medallist Darren Kenny finished outside the medals in fourth, however, as Chinese champion Li Zhang Yu left the rest of the field trailing by more than thee seconds with an extraordinary world record. Share this page Paralympics 2012: Sarah Storey set for royal title as she equals record with 11th gold medal | Daily Mail Online Next Arise Dame Sarah!

Paralympic cycling heroine Storey set for royal title as she equals record with 11th gold medal The 34-year-old now has a total of 11 Paralympic golds to her name, matching Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson's women's record Storey finished the women's C4-5 cycling road race in in one hour 40 minutes, ahead of the men's C1-3 field which started in front of her Storey has won five golds in swimming and six in cycling Paralympics 2012: Sarah Storey wins road race to enter record books | Sport | The Guardian Paralympics 2012: Sarah Storey wins road race to enter record books Cyclist equals Dave Roberts and Tanni Grey-Thompson's tallies with 11th gold, finishing seven minutes ahead of field Cyclist Sarah Storey dominated the women's road race held at Brands Hatch, winning by seven minutes from her nearest rival.

Photograph: Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images Paralympics 2012: Sarah Storey wins road race to enter record books Cyclist equals Dave Roberts and Tanni Grey-Thompson's tallies with 11th gold, finishing seven minutes ahead of field Thursday 6 September 2012 14.27 EDT First published on Thursday 6 September 2012 14.27 EDT Close This article is 4 years old Sarah Storey joined the ranks of Britain's greatest ever Paralympians on Thursday, winning her fourth cycling gold medal of the London Games in the women's road race in an utterly imperious ride that saw her finish more than seven minutes ahead of her closest rival. So dominant was the 34-year-old from Cheshire in the 64km race that by the second lap of the Brands Hatch course, having left the women's field far behind her, she caught and passed the peloton of the men's road race, which had started two minutes earlier. Her victory, the 11th gold of a career spanning six Paralympic Games, equals the modern-era records of wheelchair racer Tanni Grey-Thompson and swimmer Dave Roberts.

But the cyclist's tally is all the more remarkable given that she began her Paralympics career, as a 14-year-old at the Barcelona Games, as a swimmer, winning two golds and three silvers in her debut appearance in 1992. London is her second Games competing as a cyclist – she won double gold in Beijing in her track and time trial debut. Speaking immediately after the race, Storey said she was "just so chuffed" to have matched in the road racing the two golds she won in the velodrome, after taking time trial gold with an almost equally comfortable win on Wednesday. "The crowds around the course, and coming into the finish straight every single lap, I wanted to be able to say 'thank you', but obviously I had to keep my head down, make sure I made no mistakes." The race "hurt a lot but it was amazing", added Storey, who was able to savour her success by free-wheeling across the line. "The Americans went off to send everyone up the road one at a time. I decided to test some legs.

I had a bit of gas to spare, so I dug in – 62km on my own." Asked about equalling the records of Roberts and Grey-Thompson, Storey said: "To be even on the same page … as Tanni, but to have won 11 and made today a clean sweep for this week is just a dream come true. I can't thank enough people. I'm so proud to be part of such an amazing team and I'm just so pleased to be finished now as well." Storey, who competed as Sarah Bailey before her marriage to the cyclist Barney Storey, was born with an underdeveloped left hand. She only narrowly missed selection for the team pursuit squad at the Olympic Games , with whom she has previously won World Cup medals. Together with the gold and silver medals won in the Paralympic velodrome by her husband, who rides as a sighted tandem pilot with Neil Fachie, Storey's latest gold would take the couple on their own to 20th place in the medals table, ahead of South Africa, New Zealand and Mexico.

Storey credits her 35-year-old husband, whom she met through the sport in 2004, for much of her cycling success, saying: "Barney's at the centre of my world, his expertise in cycling is just phenomenal. Before he was a tandem pilot he was an able-bodied solo sprinter, riding World Cup events, spring grands prix in Europe. "Barney's got an immense knowledge and background in cycling. And when I came along, this big-shouldered, raw swimmer, he taught me everything." Speaking after Storey's time trial victory, which the cyclist said had been inspired by the performances of Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome in the Olympics road race, the Team GB coach Shane Sutton said her achievement was "right up there" with the performances of Chris Hoy and Usain Bolt in the earlier Games. "What she has achieved is incredible. She is as good as any able-bodied cyclist around at the moment." He said he would not be surprised if Storey were to qualify for the able-bodied competition in Rio in four years' time, when the women's pursuit team expands from three to four riders.

David Weir produced a stunning finish in the T54 marathon to win his fourth gold medal of the Paralympic Games Published: 9 Sep 2012 David Weir won his fourth gold and Shelly Woods won silver in the T54 marathons on the final day of the Paralympics Published: 9 Sep 2012 Oscar Pistorius finally won the gold he craved at the 2012 Paralympics Published: 8 Sep 2012 The smiles may slip, the memories dim, but the lasting legacy should be a renewed sense of togetherness Published: 8 Sep 2012 Cycling benefits for health and fitness: Ride a bike to get fit - get cycling tips Medically Reviewed by Dr Rob Hicks It took 99 years of Tour de France history to see a British winner of the Tour de France. But following on from Sir Bradley Wiggins's historic win in 2012, Chris Froome has now won the toughest bike race in the world three times.

The Team Sky riders like Chris burn around 6,750 calories a day on every stage of Le Tour and get thorough 10 litres of fluid a day. Cycling is for anyone You don't have to be Sir Bradley or Chris Froome to reap the benefits of cycling. Remember as a child freewheeling down a hill on your bike, the wind in your hair , the exhilaration, the freedom? Well get out your old bike and give it another whirl. More than three million people in the UK ride a bike each month and it’s getting more popular as a great way to get fit and healthy. Team Sky's Dave Brailsford says on Team Sky's website: "We're trying to get more people and more kids involved in cycling. "Build the base of the pyramid, encourage participation and make the sport a bit more mainstream than maybe it had been in the past. I'd like to think that we've done our little bit to promote that." You don’t have to start out as an athlete when it comes to cycling. Most people can do it, from toddlers to teenagers, to people in their eighties and those with disabilities – with handcycling gaining in popularity .

Cycling is far easier to slot into your everyday life than many other forms of exercise . It has the benefit of getting you from A to B as well, so it could save you money on transport. For anyone seeking to get involved in road racing, consider joining a cycling club - particularly, for younger cyclists, a club involved in British Cycling's Go Ride development programme. Cycling for health Regular cycling can reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease , type 2 diabetes and stroke . The British Heart Foundation says cycling for 20 miles a week reduces your chance of getting heart disease by a half, compared to those who don’t exercise. Nick Cavill is public health advisor to Cycling England. He’s looked into the health benefits of cycling. "If you are a cyclist you’ll live longer as you’ll have reduced cardiovascular disease, it’s better for your lungs and cuts the risk of some cancers." As a nation we are obese and cycling, like other forms of exercise, is a good way to lose weight .

In 2007 the Government-commissioned Foresight report predicted that if no action was taken 60% of men, 50% of women and 25% of children would be obese by 2050. It called for big changes in our nutrition and physical activity . So cycling could be a great way for you to make that change. The main advantage is you can make it part of your everyday life rather than having to find time to go to the gym or for a swim. London 2012 Paralympics: Sarah Storey wins gold in individual pursuit cycling | Daily Mail Online comments The first British medal of the Games was a silver won by a cyclist — but not the one most predicted would open our account. There was an emphatic performance by another British cyclist to win this country’s first gold. Sold-out crowds swelled with support for athletes in red, white and blue. Haven’t we seen this somewhere before? We were back in the Velodrome on the first day of the Paralympic Games, the venue in which Great Britain scooped seven of the 10 available gold medals during the Olympics, plus a silver and bronze. Let the gold rush begin!

Sarah Storey on her way to winning the women's individual C5 pursuit There was Paralympic silver and gold to add to the tally yesterday as Mark Colbourne finished second in the individual C1 to C3 1km time trial and Sarah Storey broke her own world record before sealing a stunning victory in the individual C5 pursuit. The ‘para’ part of the Paralympics stands for ‘parallel’. At times yesterday, with the crowd whipped up into a patriotic fever and British athletes standing on the podium, it was easy to see the similarities between two sporting events separated only by time. At others, such as when spectators watched in astonishment as Spanish cyclist Juan Jose Mendez navigated his way round the track with only one arm and one leg, it felt like something very different indeed. Glory Storey: The British cyclist celebrates her triumph in front of the patriotic crowd in the Velodrome Yet the Velodrome was reassuringly familiar territory for a British team who share the same ideas, training facilities and financial support as their Olympic compatriots, if not quite the same level of dominance.

One of the British coaches greeted a volunteer with a hug and a smile as the Paralympic team occupied the same technical area in the centre of the 250m track as Sir Chris Hoy and Co did earlier this summer. Storey then echoed Bradley Wiggins by winning Britain’s first gold of 2012, although her medal came on the track rather than the road. The similarities were clear, yet this is an athlete who has repeatedly defied comparison. Born with a partially formed left hand, Storey won five Paralympic swimming gold medals before an ear infection forced her to switch to cycling in 2005. She won two further golds in Beijing and then represented England at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. Record breaker: Sarah Storey celebrates after qualifying for the women's C5 individual pursuit The 33-year-old’s world record yesterday, set in qualifying for the final as she caught her opponent, was quicker than Joanna Rowsell’s time to win the same event in a World Cup race here in February. Britain’s Crystal Lane finished fourth, losing the race for bronze to New Zealand’s Fiona Southorn.

Storey said: ‘I am fortunate I have that double life: it means I can prepare to be the best Paralympian I can be, and, ultimately, the best athlete I can be. ‘I hope to be remembered as an athlete. I think that is the point of the Paralympics: disability or impairment is irrelevant. We all trained immensely hard as full-time athletes alongside those on the able-bodied side.’ As Storey won her 19th Paralympic medal — with three more potentially still to come in London — Colbourne won his first, three years after he broke his back in a para-gliding accident. Flying start: Storey in action at the Velodrome on the opening day of the London 2012 Paralympic Games The 42-year-old, nicknamed Uncle Bryn after the character from BBC sitcom Gavin and Stacey owing to his strong South Wales accent, played YouTube footage of the Olympics through his headphones to ‘get used to the volume of 110-120 decibels’ inside the Velodrome. It certainly paid off.

Just as Lizzie Armitstead won Britain’s first medal in the women’s road race the day after many had predicted Mark Cavendish would be the first Briton on the podium, the hosts’ first Paralympic prize came from an unexpected quarter. Colbourne was not the favourite: that was Darren Kenny, the 42-year-old chasing his seventh Paralympic gold. The pair will each have a second chance today in their respective categories of the men’s individual pursuit. With any luck, this will make things more clear-cut than the ‘factorised’ times that skewed the time trial event yesterday. If trying to make sense of the omnium or remembering which one was the keirin befuddled you during the Olympics, this was something else entirely. Where is Professor Stephen Hawking when you need him? Support: Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge at the Veldrome on Thursday Good sports: William and Kate took part in a Mexican wave during the Paralympic cycling races Kenny, who has cerebral palsy, won the CP3 1km time trial in Beijing, but after the events were re-jigged for London he found himself competing against athletes with more severe disabilities.

He consequently missed out on a medal even though he completed the four laps quicker than anyone else. He is classed as C3 but the winner, Li Zhang Yu, 24, from China, is categorised as C1 because he needs a seated start and suffers an uneven distribution of weight, making balance difficult. The Chinese athlete’s time was therefore weighted — by a factor of 89.06 per cent — to give him a final time designed to reflect his level of disability. Li set a C1 world record of 1min 13.009sec, but his ‘factored time’ was 1:05.021 — five seconds faster than Kenny’s. ‘It wasn’t anywhere near what I expected to do,’ said Kenny. ‘But I wouldn’t have been able to match what Li has just done.’ It pushed the Briton down to fourth, but his team-mate Colbourne, also classed as C1, benefitted from the rule.

The Welshman’s real-time ride of 1:16.882 was ‘factored’ to 1:08.471, giving him a silver medal above Tobias Graf from Germany, who completed the four laps a second quicker. But Graf, a C2 athlete who lost his left leg aged 10 when it was crushed by a combine harvester on his parents’ farm, saw his world record time reduced by a factor of 92.25 per cent to give him a bronze. Britain’s Rick Waddon, 35, finished ninth. Sarah Storey Wins Britains First Gold In Paralympics 2012 - YouTube Sarah Storey Wins Britains First Gold In Paralympics 2012 Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later.

Published on Aug 30, 2012 Sarah Storey swept to victory in the C5 Pursuit final to win Great Britain's first Paralympic gold of London 2012 and the eighth of her own career. The 34-year-old tore into the gap to Anna Harkowska and passed the Pole just after halfway in their 3km run-off. Storey, who broke a world record for the 72nd time in her career in qualifying, has another three medals in her sights at London 2012.Earlier, team-mate Mark Colbourne won silver in the C1-3 1km time trial. Storey and Colbourne's successes are the first contributions towards ParalympicsGB's target of 103 across the whole of London 2012. Cycling will be key to that total having delivered 17 golds in Beijing and Storey never looked like being denied a repeat of the Pursuit title she won four years ago. "I didn't expect to be able to catch her as quickly as I did," said the Briton. "Hopefully this race will set me up for the rest of the weekend.

I suppose it did look easy but mentally you have to prepare and make it happen. Category David Weir wins fourth gold medal of Paralympics 2012 - BBC Sport BBC Sport David Weir wins fourth gold medal of Paralympics 2012 By Mike Henson From the section Disability Sport Share this page Read more about sharing. David Weir made it four wins from four events at London 2012 as he beat Marcel Hug to win the T54 marathon in front of an ecstatic crowd on the Mall. The 33-year-old's triumph, after 5,000m, 1500m and 800m victories, means he matches Sarah Storey as Britain's most successful athlete at the Games. "I had to be in super-human shape to win four and I've done it," said Weir.

Great Britain's London 2012 top medal winners Sarah Storey (Cycling) Four golds David Weir (Athletics) Four golds Sophie Christiansen (Equestrian) Three golds Ellie Simmonds (Swimming) Two golds, one silver, one bronze Natasha Baker (Equestrian) Two golds Hannah Cockcroft (Athletics) Two golds In the women's race ParalympicsGB's final medal hope Shelly Woods won silver after three track defeats. Woods's second-placed finish behind American Shirley Reilly means Great Britain collected 120 medals - 17 more than their pre-Games target - and finished third in the medal table behind China and Russia. They also improved their athletics medal tally from 17 (two golds) in Beijing four years ago to 29 in London, with 11 golds won. Both Weir and Woods won the London marathon in April, although the Paralympic course was very different from the one they raced in the spring.

Consisting of one 2.2 mile and three eight-mile loops, the more technical route had been seen as favouring Weir, and the Londoner remained in the leading group as it whittled down from six to leave him with just Hug and Athens and Beijing champion Kurt Fearnley for company. Despite his exertions on the track, Weir summoned up the strength over the final 500m to make a decisive break, and it was one neither of his rivals could follow. Media playback is not supported on this device 'I'm proud to be a Paralympian' - Weir "That was the toughest race I've ever raced in my life," Weir, who has suggested he might retire, added. "They were all working together to try and stop me, but I'm used to that. I do my own thing and race as best as I can. "It has just been an amazing experience these last 10 days, I've never experienced anything like it in my life.

"It just shows the British public are so supportive; they love sport, they love seeing Britain doing well, you can see how proud they are to put these Games on." His four golds in London will ease Weir's memories of a difficult Paralympic campaign in Beijing four years ago. Tipped as a contender in five events in China, he came away with two golds having been hampered with a virus. Woods, competing in the women's versions of Weir's events, had failed to get amongst the medals in this year's Games before Sunday's race.

Weir's 10 Paralympic medals Gold (6): 800m (Beijing), 1500m (Beijing), 1500m (London), 5,000m (London), 800m (London), marathon (London) Silver (2): 100m (Athens), 400m (Beijing) Bronze (2): 200m (Athens), 5,000m (Beijing) All in T54 category But after slipping 11 seconds off the pace at the 10km mark, the 26-year-old closed back in on the leaders and was only denied gold by a second as she was narrowly outsprinted by Reilly. "It has been such a tough week and I've been wanting a medal so badly," Woods said. "I've always known that physically my speed is there, it just wasn't happening on the track. "This means the world to me.

I was hoping I could do it on the track, but a silver in the marathon is amazing." American Tatyana McFadden, whose hopes of five golds in the Games were foiled by a bronze in the 100m on Saturday night, finished ninth after a mechanical problem required a change of wheel. Paralympics 2012: gold for GB in velodrome and pool on first day | Sport | The Guardian Paralympics 2012 Paralympics 2012: gold for GB in velodrome and pool on first day Sarah Storey wins Britain's first gold in time trial as Jonathan Fox breaks 100m backstroke world record on way to title Sarah Storey won the eighth gold of her 20-year career to take Britain's first success on the opening day of the Paralympics.

Photograph: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images Thursday 30 August 2012 16.30 EDT First published on Thursday 30 August 2012 16.30 EDT Close This article is 4 years old Union flags fluttered, noise levels rose, royal cheerleaders assumed their customary positions and the British public rose to acclaim a new cast of heroes as the London Paralympic Games got underway. During the Olympics it took five jittery days for British athletes to record their first gold, sparking the rush of medals that followed. But it took only until the first afternoon of competition for one of Britain's greatest Paralympians to pick up where Sir Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton left off in the velodrome. Amid signs that the euphoria which accompanied the event only half-jokingly dubbed the "warm up" by Paralympians had returned, Sarah Storey won the eighth gold of a 20-year career – and the first of these Games – with ease in the women's C5 3km time trial. "I always thought that if I could get off to a great start it would set up the week and hopefully that's the case," she said afterwards.

"I suppose it did look easy but mentally you have to prepare and make it happen." In the Aquatics Centre, the only venue where TeamGB underperformed during the Olympics, the noise was similarly deafening as a string of British swimmers won medals on the opening day of competition. Jonathan Fox, who broke the world record in his S7 100m backstroke heat in the morning, then did what none of the Team GB squad managed at the Olympics and took gold in the final. Already, the Paralympic swimming squad has equalled the medal count of their Olympic counterparts. Fox, who has cerebral palsy, said he had motivated himself before the final by listening to heavy metal bands such as Breaking Benjamin and at the finish celebrated by wagging his finger in the air. He paid tribute to the "awesome atmosphere" created by the 17,500 spectators within the Aquatics Centre. Organisers hope that those athletes competing in packed venues and featuring in more than 500 hours of Channel 4 coverage will inspire both admiration of their sporting achievements and a wider shift in perceptions.

At her fourth Paralympic Games, the Welsh swimmer Nyree Kindred took silver in the S6 100m backstroke. Sixteen-year-old Hannah Russell, who a week ago was worrying about her GCSE results, marked herself out as a star as she won silver in the S12 400m freestyle in a British record time. The day had not started so well, with ParalympicsGB ambassadors the duke and duchess of Cambridge seeing the home goalball team lose 11-1 to world champions Lithuania. But things improved from there on the opening day of competition in a Paralympic Games that organisers claim will be the "biggest and best" in history. In all, ParalympicsGB racked up a total of seven medals towards their target of 103 – including a bronze in the judo for Ben Quilter in the 60kg category and a powerlifting bronze for Zoe Newson. But there were also signs that the Chinese team could be even more dominant than four years ago in Beijing, where they topped the medal table with more than twice as many medals as Britain after pouring huge sums into Paralympic sport.

As at the Olympics, there was also loud acclaim for the best athletes from abroad. American Jessica Long, a double amputee, won her eighth career gold and set a new Paralympic record in the women's S8 100m butterfly. The South African Natalie du Toit, who has also appeared at the Olympics and is swimming in her final Paralympics , won her 11th gold. For British fans wanting to maintain the patriotic reverie sparked by the Olympics, Storey's was the standout performance of the day. She had qualified for the final of the women's C5 individual pursuit in a world record time – the 72nd of her career – with a huge advantage on paper over her rival, the Pole Anna Harkowska. Her time was faster than that recorded by Joanna Rowsell to win the UCI world championship in the same venue in February. That left her a 1/50 favourite for the final and she duly delivered in emphatic fashion, catching her opponent with half of the 3km pursuit race remaining.

Mark Colbourne, dubbed "Uncle Bryn" by his teammates who think he sounds like the Rob Brydon character, earlier took silver in the C1-2-3 1km time trial to win Britain's first medal of the Games. Colbourne, a former Wales volleyball international, broke his back while paragliding in 2009, and has only been riding for 18 months. Afterwards he said he had tried to block out the sound of the crowd. "You try and blank out 6,000 people if you can. It was very loud. I probably only heard the crowd in lap three, once I'd relaxed into my stride." The dominance of Britain's Parlaympic cyclists in Beijing, where they won 17 of the team's overall total of 42 gold medals, matched that of their non-disabled counterparts. The two teams train alongside each other at the national cycling centre in Manchester, sharing the same philosophy and approach to coaching, sports science, psychology and technology. If anything, the ascent of Britain's Paralympic cyclists has been even more dizzying than that of Hoy and company.

Until the Athens Paralympics in 2004, Britain's Paralympians had never won a cycling gold. ParalympicsGB, who paraded around the Olympic Stadium to a rapturous reception during Wednesday's opening ceremony, has set a target of winning a record 103 medals from at least 12 sports in London and finishing second to China in the medal table. It was Storey that got the ball rolling, beating her own world record in qualifying as she closed in on her eighth Paralympic gold medal. Five of those golds were won in the pool, the first 20 years ago in Barcelona, before she switched to the bike after she was forced to give up swimming due to an ear infection. Storey, born with a congenital hand deficiency, has raced alongside non-disabled riders for her whole career and only narrowly missed out on competing in both the Olympics and Paralympics when she failed to make the team pursuit squad for the former. She will target three more gold medals in the C4/5 500m sprint on the track and the time trial and road race that will take place at motor racing circuit Brands Hatch in Kent.

Amid a surge of interest in the Paralympics, Channel 4 said it had attracted a peak audience of more than 11m for its live coverage of Wednesday night's well received opening ceremony – well above expectations. The International Paralympic Committee said that its website had received more hits on Thursday than during the entire Beijing Games in 2008. More than 2.4m tickets have been sold, with only around 100,000 remaining. One controversy that is bound to be a feature of these Games also came to the fore as 17-year-old US swimmer Victoria Arlen was told she will compete in the 400m S6 freestyle heats tomorrow with the threat of disqualification hanging over her. The classification system that underpins Paralympic sport is designed to ensure a level playing field – generally, the lower the number, the more severe the impact of the athlete's impairment on their sport – but can be open to challenge. Arlen, a major rival of British swimmer Ellie Simmonds, was found to be "non-eligible" earlier this week after the IPC received evidence compelling them to reassess the world record holder.

But after an appeal was heard and new evidence submitted, Arlen – a double world record holder – was restated pending an observation during her heat on Saturday. London 2012 Paralympics: Sarah Storey is a natural winner - Telegraph Advertisement London 2012 Paralympics: Sarah Storey is a natural winner From swimming to cycling, the tale is one of medals, medals and more medals, writes John MacLeary. Gold: Sarah Storey celebrates after winning her class of women's individual pursuit in Beijing 2008 Photo: GETTY IMAGES By John MacLeary 11:07AM BST 29 Aug 2011 Cycling/Swimming 2008 Gold Time trial, pursuit 2004 Silver 100m breaststroke, 200m individual medley. Bronze 100m freestyle 2000 Silver 100m backstroke, 4x100m medley 1996 Gold 100m backstroke, 100m breaststroke, 200m individual medley. Silver 400m freestyle.

Bronze 100m freestyle 1992 Gold 100m backstroke, 200m individual medley. Silver 400m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle, 4x100m medley. Bronze 100m freestyle When Sarah Storey watched British swimmer Sarah Hardcastle win silver and bronze medals at the Olympic Games in 1984 the then six-year old Lancastrian knew in her determined mind what life had in store for her. Storey, born with a congenital abnormality of the left hand, was going to represent her country in sport, any sport. “I remember watching the Olympics when I was six,” Storey says. “I watched Sarah Hardcastle swim, she was just 15 years old at the time, and she won silver and bronze medals and I worked out in my little six-year-old brain that by the ’92 Games I’d be 14, nearly 15. That’s when I started dreaming of competing for Great Britain in the Games. The sport, to be honest, was irrelevant because I loved all sports.

I just wanted to pull on a GB tracksuit as soon as possible.” Storey’s story has seen her win 18 Paralympic medals in five Games and stand atop the podium on seven occasions. She made her Paralympic debut at Barcelona in 1992, but by 2008 she had switched from swimming to another sporting arena after an ear infection forced her out of the pool. This is when she discovered another, seemingly natural talent – bike racing. “Swimming was just one sport of many that I did as a youngster. I was, though, always an advanced swimmer – I learned to swim when I was four and had done my 3,000 metres by the time I was six. I was also a good runner, table tennis player and so on. Actually, from the age of six through to 14, I was reasonably good at most sports. Related Articles More on Paralympic sport... 29 Aug 2011 “I was very lucky. I lived in a village where sport was really important and the primary school was absolutely sport mad, but it was only after I started to win medals that I faced any challenges.

“I was bullied at school because I was different. After I came back from Barcelona with two gold medals I was bullied because I had been elevated to a certain position. “Then when I was at [Leeds Metropolitan] university there was a coach in the local city-centre swimming club who refused to train me because I had a disability. So it wasn’t until after I had gained any success that I actually faced any trouble or challenges really.” Despite being one of Britain’s strongest Paralympic cyclists Storey, understandably, still faces tricky obstacles. “The start is probably the hardest part,” she says. “I use a small adaption that allows me to lodge my hand to the handlebars so that I’m not going to fall off and I can get some pull from that. I’ll always be at a disadvantage because I’ve got no grip strength. “It’s a bit like Jonny Wilkinson, though, when he says he practises his kicking for hours on end. I’m the same. I practise my starts, probably, more than anyone else.” Storey could yet join an elite group of athletes to compete in both the Paralympic and able-bodied Games at London next year, though she says the Paralympics are her main priority.

“It would be an added bonus. I’m focusing on five events and one [team pursuit] just happens to be in the Olympic Games so,” adds Storey. “It’s just by default that I might get to compete in both. “I’m a sea-level world record holder in the team pursuit with Wendy Houvenaghel and Jo Rowsell. There’s no team pursuit at the Paralympics so I might have to go to the Olympics to do it. It would just be by accident if I were to compete at the Olympics really. But it would be a nice accident.” David Weir and Sarah Storey to carry Great Britain flag at Paralympics 2012 closing ceremony - Telegraph Advertisement David Weir and Sarah Storey to carry Great Britain flag at Paralympics 2012 closing ceremony David Weir and Sarah Storey, who each won four gold medals at the London 2012 Paralympics, will carry the British flag together in the closing ceremony tonight.

Pride of Britain: Sarah Storey and David Weir will share honour at closing ceremony Photo: GETTY IMAGES/PA Follow The move is a change to the normal protocol of selecting a single individual, and team officials had to gain permission from the International Paralympic Committee to make the move. "During the London 2012 Paralympic Games, ParalympicsGB has witnessed some outstanding performances, and most notably from Sarah Storey and David Weir," said chef de mission Craig Hunter. "I'm thrilled and delighted that the IPC has recognised and agreed to our request to allow joint flagbearers at the closing ceremony. "These athletes represent the spirit of Paralympic athleticism." Wheelchair racer Weir has lit up the Olympic Stadium over the last 10 days, with victories over 5000m, 1500m and 800m and won Britain's last gold of the Games in the T54 Marathon this morning. Related Articles The final race for gold 09 Sep 2012 At the end of his fourth Games, the 33-year-old Londoner now has a career haul of six gold, two silver and two bronze medals.

"It will be a great honour to come out to the closing ceremony carrying that flag," said Weir. "I'm a proud Brit and Sarah is as well. She has done fantastically well too. "To do it as a Londoner in front of a London crowd makes it even more special." Storey starred in the Velodrome and on the road, taking individual pursuit and 500m time trial victories on the track before moving to Brands Hatch where she won the Time Trial and triumphed in emphatic fashion in the C5 Road Race on Thursday. That win brought her 11th career gold, making Mancunian Storey - a former swimmer who switched to cycling in 2005 - Britain's most decorated female Paralympian. With eight silver medals and three bronze in a 20-year career she surpassed former wheelchair racer Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson's collection of 11 golds, four silvers and one bronze. "I'm amazed at the news, I never expected it," said Storey, 34. "I've not been to a Paralympic ceremony since Athens and can't wait to see the stadium tonight.

It's a huge honour and it should be a very exciting night." Weir said he had hoped to be nominated to carry the flag in the opening ceremony but the athletics team chose not to attend as they finished Games preparations at a holding camp in Portugal. Tennis player Peter Norfolk was nominated in an athletes' vote to perform the honour. "Our sport rules meant that wasn't possible so I had to forgot about it and focus on my performance," said Weir "The Games has been special for everyone; every Paralympian has said it's been special. So to go out in the stadium tonight will be a tearjerker. Not much is going to top this."

Question: In which sport did Sarah Storey win four gold medals at the 2012 Paralympics?
Answer: CYCLING